E 

119 
T94 




THE UNION. 



AN ADDRESS 



ON THE 






DESTINY OF THE UNITED STATES, 



DELIVERED BY 



"^ti^:^ 



^ 



Wm 



DR. HENRY m/pRICE 



AT NICHOLAS C. H., VA., 



On the 22nd (Saturday 21) February 1857. 




RICHMOND: 
MACFARLANE & FERGUSSON. 

■ 1857. 









THE UNION. 



AN ADDRESS 



ON THE 



DESTIiY OF THE UNITED STATES 



DELIVERED BY 



DR. HENRY M. PRICE, 



AT NICHOLAS C. H., VA., 

On the 22nd (Saturday 21) February 1857. 



RICHMOND: ^ 
MACFARLANE & FERGUSSON". 

1857. 



r^^ 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



Dr. Henry M. Price: 

Having heard your address ou the 21st inst., and being desirous 
that the same may be printed, we ask of you a copy for publication. 
Respectfully, 3'ours, &c., 

R. DUNLAP. 

JOHN McANEARY. 

F. DUFFY. 

D. O. KELLY. 

JOHN F. CAMPBELL, 

JOHN A. CALLOWELL. 

J. M. MOORE, 

JOHN DUFFY. 

A. J. NABBGALL. 

JNO. W. POWELL. 

Nicholas C. H., Va., Feb. 21, 1857. 



Messrs. Dcnlap, McAxearv, and others: 

Gentlemen — Your note of the 21st inst., asking a copy of the 
Address I had the honor to deliver before you is at hand. I feel highly 
gratified that my humble effort should have so far met your approba- 
tion. A copy is at your disposal. 

With feelings of esteemed respect, 

HENRY M. PRICE. 
Nicholas C. II., Ya., Feb. 21, 1857. 



THE UNION. 

Frietids and Fellow Citizens : 

We have assembled this clay to commemorate the birth of 
"Washington. One hundred and t^venty five years ago — 
even within the space of life granted to some — was born him 
whose birth day every American delights to honor. How 
short, yet how momentous the events embraced within that 
short period of time ! Then, where we now stand was the 
footpath of the savage. Civilization had not extended her 
benign influences beyond the Eastern ridge of our now 
mighty State. One vast illimitable wilderness, — occupied, 
alone, by the rude Indian and the wild denizens of the for- 
est — save, perhaps, some solitary French Jesuit — extended 
from the Blue Ridge to the Pacific, its awful stillness unbro- 
ken, save only by the deadly warwhoop, or the angry growl 
of the Avild beast. 

Then, a few scattered and thinly settled colonies, bordering 
the Atlantic — driven from their homes by oppressions all- 
poAverful hand, alone constituted the civilized strength of the 
land — owing and paying tribute to task masters, who respec- 
ted neither right, justice, or religion ; but whose stubbon yoke 
was upon them, as out of, and beyond the pale of law, rea- 
son, justice, or humanity. The hand of Poiver was upon 
them ; and oppression loaded them with her chains, — draw- 
ing a laborious support from the untenanted soil, rifle in hand, 
under the constant alarms of the savage warwhoop, or the 
dread of the deadly tomahawk, and scalping knife. Yet, 
they grew. The Eye of the Almighty was upon them, and 
He held them in His right hand. Him, who scanned and 
fixed the destinies of vast worlds upon worlds from the be- 
ginning. Him, who spake nations into existence. Him, 
who raised up the mighty Babylon, and promised the king- 



6 THE UNION. 

dom of tlic Meade and the Persian. Him, who prospered 
the Greek, to carry out His purposes. Him, Avho foretold 
the destiny of the Jews, and the vast power of Rome. He 
had his eye upon them — waiting the fulness of time to raise 
up a mighty nation — composed of all nations, sects, religions, 
to fulfil his Almighty idea — a self-governing people. A 
people, free from King, Prince or Potentate, who should pos- 
sess within tliemselves the power of self-government, without 
anarchy or confusion. An idea. He had in vain impressed 
upon His chosen people, the Jews, as essential to their hap- 
piness and well being — but, who being a stiff neck and rebel- 
lious race, hearkened not to his voice, and were deaf to his ad- 
monitions. Centuries had rolled round — nation upon nation 
had been raised up, and been cast down. Civilization and 
knowledge had vanished from earth, under the rude hand of 
despotism. The world groaned with ignorance ; and the 
very Heavens were rent by its blindness and idolatry. God's 
purpose was unalterable. The fulness of time was at last 
come. The faint glimmerings of Protestantism had shed its 
cheering rays into the vast depths of this illimitable and pro- 
found darkness. Men at last reasoned, — thought, spoke. 
The power of God Avas upon them ; and even the fear of tor- 
ture, or death, failed to suppress the mighty heavings and 
force of truth, and growing knowledge. True religion, like 
Noah's dove, now waived her snowy pinions over the hitherto 
impenetrable abyss; and the Almighty saw His fixed purpose 
to man in his creation, — to prove his self-government — might 
be accomplished. Men, impressed by the same sublime idea, 
alone were wanting ; but, God had prepared the way for their 
impress. Statesmen, Philosophers, Warriors were wanted : 
men possessing vast powers of mind, without the sordid am- 
bition of rule. And these the Almighty formed — creating 
the men for the times and purposes. 

Upon the banks of the smooth flowing Potomac was born 
George Washington — he whose destiny it was to play the 
most important and conspicuous pai't in this great develop- 



THE UNION. 7 

EQent : to lead his countrymen to victory, to glory, and to 
liberty. Of him, eulogy to Americans is a work of supere- 
rogation. His epitaph is indelibly engraved upon the 
heart of every freeman. While earth shall revolve in the 
vast sphere of creation — and the sun "give forth day unto 
day;" and nightly the glittering stars deck the blue illimita- 
ble expanse of Heaven ; while freedom shall meet a respon- 
sive echo in the chaos of desolving worlds, or Liberty find 
an accordant beat in the heart of one solitary being of the 
future — Washington's name will be remembered, revered and 
cherished ! 

Of him we shall not speak : but of the mighty people — 
extending from the broad Atlantic to the confines of the 
vast Pacific — whose hearts this day beat responsive to ours, 
in offering thanks to the Almight}'- for his generous care and 
protection of us as a Nation ! 

Freedom's last expiation had been made upon the utter- 
most limits of our native State. The sandy shores of York- 
town smoked with the blood of the last victims that were sac- 
rificed at her shrines. The lamented Montgomery had shed his 
last blood and rendered up life at Quebec. The gallant Moul- 
trie had defeated the British fleet of Charleston. The lion- 
hearted Allen had demanded the surrender of Ticonderoga 
" in the name of the Great Jehovah and the Continental 
Congress." Marion had signalized himself by prowess and 
bravery in the swamps of South Carolina. Warren had of- 
fered up life as a libation to freedom at Breed's Hill. Gates 
had reaped the fruits of Schuyler's admirable arrangements 
in the surrender of Burgoyne. Washington had crossed the 
DelaAvare, and gained the success that cheered the last expi- 
ring sparks of freedom. The brave Stark had sworn the de- 
feat of the Hessians at Benington — or Molly Stark's as 
widow. Col. Washington had made his mark at the Cow- 
pens and Col. Howard his decisive charge. The battles of 
Brandywine, Germantown and Monmouth had been fought. 
The hardy mountaineers had fought and won the battle of 



8 THE UXION. 

King's Mountain. • The Vale of Wyoming had felt the ruth- 
less fury of the British savage. Lafayette had distin- 
guished himself. The gallant De Kalb had fallen glori- 
ously at Camden and Pulaski at Savannah. 

Every section had equally felt the ruthless fury of vrar, 
and each Colony had oflered up her devoted sons upon the 
altars of Liberty. The blood of the foreigner had flo^ved 
commingled with the blood of the American. The life of 
the Catholic had been offered as a propitiary sacrifice with 
that of the Protestant in behalf of our land of freedom, 
which should know no people, no country, no sect, no religion — 
but as the blood of all had equally flowed in the sight of 
High Heaven — and as all had equally undergone the same 
privation and suffering, it should be free to all, irrespective 
of nation, or religion — but, that the inhabitants of every 
land, and every clime, might shelter under its protection, 
and worship the "Living God" in their own ways — "Under 
their own vine and fig tree," with none to molest them, or 
to make them afraid. 

Great Britain had exhausted her strength and her trea- 
sure. Her children, "flesh of her flesh," and "bone of 
her bone," inured to danger in the howling wilderness to 
which she had forced them — together with those whom the 
oppressions of their own mother lands had forced to their 
bosom, and to their aid, to exercise the dictates of conscience, 
were too powerful for her — the freedom of the Colonists was 
declared — throbs of revolution and war had given birth to a 
new nation. Puritan, Quaker, Unitarian, Catholic, Episco- 
palian, Baptist, ITugcnot, Methodist, were all alike declared 
free and independent. Free to select their own rulers — free 
to worship God in their own way. Here Avas indeed a Millen- 
ium! The Lion and the Lamb of Europe did indeed lie 
down together. But they had all united in the cause of 
freedom, and were equally entitled to her blessings. All, 
from Harmon Husband, the soul of the llegulators of North 
Carolina, to John Adams of Massachusetts, each and every 



THE UNION. 9 

sect, from the "strait homespun coat" to the "frill shirt 
bosom," had done their duty. North Carolina had fought 
the battle of Alamance, as Massachusetts had that of Breed's 
Hill ; and while the present assigns the first stroke for Liberty 
to the latter, impartial history will award it to the former. 
While Massachusetts has justly raised the colossal stone to 
commemorate the life blood shed upon her soil — the heroes of 
Alamance are unknown and unnoted. They who did indeed 
resist oppression unaided, are forgot — while others claim the 
honors. But their blood has ascended to High Heaven as 
the first sweet incense of Liberty, and their worldly reward 
is yet for them. The little North State can always claim of 
her sisters homage for the first blood shed in the cause of 
Freedom, though her Bay State sister now wears the laurel 
unjustly snatched from her brow. 

Peace extended her benign influence over three millions of 
freemen, composing thirteen colonies, possessing diversified 
views and interests. Debts were to be paid from an already 
over exhausted Treasury — provisions to be made for those 
who shed their blood for their country — marching naked over 
the frozen hills of the North, the burning sierras of the 
South, and starving through the almost impassable mountain 
defiles — commercial relations to be established ; and defence 
provided for the extended frontiers, both by sea and land. To 
establish a Central Government, which should supervise and 
consolidate the strength of the whole, without infringing upon 
the rights, interests or internal affairs of either, required the 
discretion of the sage, the wisdom of the philosopher, and 
the deep forecast of the Statesman. But the Almighty had 
raised up the men for the times. That glorious instrument — 
the palladium of our liberty and strength — the Constitution, 
was the result of their united wisdom. Its trunk was set 
deep in soil enriched by the blood and suffering of our com- 
mon ancestors ; and all the thirteen branches engrafted upon 
it, to be equally nourished, vivified and supported ; and each 
respectively put forth its own foliage, blossoms and fruit — 



10 THE UNION. 

and drawing nutriment from the sun of Liberty, in return 
furnish sustenance to strengthen and sustain the common 
centre. Thus creating one Avhole, entire Union. And while 
that glorious stock, the Constitution, remains unmutilated, 
unscathed, so long Avill branch upon branch put forth in every 
direction — drawing more sustenance, and returning more nu- 
triment to strengthen the whole, until its dimensions shall be 
coextensive with the great North American Continent, and 
extending protection to the isles of the two vast oceans — and 
shielding the inhabitants of every nation and every clime : — 
the Tartar and the Chinese ; the Russian and the Turk ; the 
German and the Italian ; the Anglo-Saxon and the French- 
man ; the Spaniard and the Moor ; the Portuguese and the 
Japanese : the Greek and the Persian ; the oppressed Son of 
the Emerald Isle and the brave and free son of the Helvetic Re- 
public ; the Thug of India and the " Cannie Sawnie'' of 
the North Highlanders. The Mosque shall be reared with 
the Cathedral — the Synagogue with the Protestant Chapel. 
The serf of Europe shall find employment and support in the 
North and vast immense West ; and the sooty African be 
protected, supported and Christianized in the sunny South ! 
But, alas ! if the rude hand of vandalism be lain upon the 
trunk, or the devastating shocks of fanaticism and sectional- 
ism should rend it in twain ; and sever its now rich, fair and 
glorious branches, the heating rays of oppression would ex- 
foliate its bark. The trunk would become dry and worthless. 
Noxious germs would exude from its body, loathsome excre- 
scences form upon the surface, the rents and rottenness would 
domiciliate every loathsome insect ; its revivifying juices would 
be extracted. Trunk — limb — branch, would undergo prema- 
ture decay. No blossoms — no fruit ; and in a few years, this 
now noble tree would be blasted to the very roots. The lo- 
custs of arbitrary power, would destroy the living fruits, 
now protected by its genial shade and the mighty Sirocco of 
despotism would sweep over the land with its devastating in- 
fluences. Liberty would retreat in despair to the snowy re- 



THE UNION. 11 

cesses of Helvetia — and freedom be dragged in the car of 
some modern Tamerlane. Ignorance and barbarism would 
again assert their prerogative. The rich flowing field would 
give place to the wilderness ; the well drained surface to 
swamps and morasses — breeding only the noxious reptile — 
the lowing kine to the howl of the wild beast. Fair cities 
would be forgot — New York would become some fishing vil- 
lage whose only tonage some small fishing smack, without 
trace of former greatness — New Orleans a bed for the mus- 
quito and alligator — Boston would be undistinguishable save, 
perhaps, by the monument erected to her departed patriots. ; 
Cities, towns, villages Avould be blotted from existence — and 
pass away as speedily as they sprang forth. The bison would 
again resume his native haunts — dark, deep, impenetrable ^ 

barbarism cover the whole land. Man w^ould seek in vain / 

for traces of former empire, art or science. f 

Is this picture too highly wrought? Go, seek in the vast | 
and arid desert for Thebes ! Dig deep into earth's bowels for ( 
some relic of Ninevah or Babylon — as the lion stares with » 
fiery eye upon you — the Hyena bristles at your approach — or ■ 

the gilded serpent hisses as he darts from you. Ask for the 
site of ancient Troy — or seek in vain the cities of Eutrusca. 
Go, fix yourself upon some smouldering ruin of Carthage, or 
look in vain for the ancient beauties of Jerusalem. Ask, 
where is Tyre ? or seek in the decaying ruins of Greece or 
Rome for traces of former greatness. Alas ! if we do not » 
profit by example, a similar fate may speedily await us — 
leaving only traditionary data of former greatness. / 

The Israelites of old deposited the tablets of Moses with / 
the Ark — encased in shittimwood and fine gold — the Consti- r 
tution is engraved in the heart of every American Patriot! 
The first Avords our sons should lisp, should be Freedom, the 
Constitution and its Compromises. To revere this instru- 
ment, the result of the combined wisdom and forecaste of our 
forefathers, should be impressed upon them, from the very 
cradle, and faithfully to carry into effect its compromises, as 



12 THE UNION. 

a first duty, tending to the perpetuity and glory of this vast 
Republic, should be as strictly inculcated upon them, as the 
commandments — for He that was wanting in respect to the 
former, will have none for the latter. We see the very men, 
now, who infringe the requirements of the Constitution, or 
would do so if they could, are calling aloud, not only for 
another Constitution — but, alas ! for another Bible and 
another God. Sacrilege to Heaven is but a step from sacri- 
lege to country. 

When I hear men calculating the value of the Union in 
sordid dollars and cents — as they would some worthless mer- 
chandise — it seems as if some Medusa head had turned every 
patriotic throbbing of the heart to stone. Such ivretches are 
unworthy the rich boon of Freedom. No patriotic pulsation 
throbs within their breast. Revering not the memories of 
the mighty dead they would incite political storms, hoping 
to arrive at power on the crests of its mighty waves. Trust 
not such men in office ; their soul is a charnel house for cor- 
ruption, for bribery, and for treasons ; they would sell their 
noble birthrights for a mess of pottage, and give the locks of 
our strength for the smiles of some specious Deliah. 

Would they value the Union ? Let them go to the mani- 
fold fields of carnage, in every State of the Union — let them 
gather up, drop by drop, the blood shed for freedom and the 
Union — weigh them, value them, if they can or dare. Let 
them sum up the suff"erings of our forefathers, by heat and 
by cold, on the burning sands of summer and in the chilling 
blasts of winter ; let them follow them naked and starving 
over frozen hills and icy plains ; let them go to the prison 
ship, and hear the agony of groaning despair ; let them go 
to the savage stake, and witness such torture, as one moment, 
were more than the price of an empire ; let them sum up the 
rapines and murders, houseless women, and starving children ; 
let them sum these up ; then let them fix the price thus, not 
till then can they dare place estimates upon the Union and 
the Constitution. The price is Liberty and Strength. But, 



THE UNION. 13 

we indeed despair of the Union, and all its concomitant bles- 
sings, %Ylien we witness a grave Senator — upon whose should- 
ers had fallen the mantle of a Webster, a man of acknowl- 
edged literary ability — prostituting the rich mental gifts of 
the Almighty Creator in defamation of any of the departed 
heroes of the Revolution, using his powers in order to gain 
the plaudits of hotel servants and chamber maids, and the 
ephemeral praise of a sect of fanatics in libelling one section 
of the Union ; and suffering his mental vigor to become so de- 
praved, as to resort to language that would have put the 
commonest huckster of Billingsgate to the blush. Me- 
thought the shade of Webster would have raised and torn 
the senatorial mantle from his shoulder. That as he turned 
to face Mount Vernon, the countenance of the Father of his 
Country scowling upon him, would have made him shrank 
abashed in his place. That as he uttered his malign villifica- 
tions, the spirits of Hancock, Adams, King, would have 
hurled him from his seat. And, when he returned to his na- 
tive State, if he dare face Breed's Hill, the angry ghosts of 
the departed patriots and heroes would have dragged him to 
the nethermost depths of the deepest damnation. We 
know not the feeling of Massachusetts, the Gods have blind- 
ed her and made her mad. But had any Southern Senator 
so far have forgotten his dignity, and the reverence due to 
the things and men of the Revolution, as to cast implications 
upon any of our sister States or her departed heroes, no mat- 
ter his position, his talent, or his party, he would have been 
forced to resign his undeserved honors and be cast into the 
very deepest depths of oblivion. The very mention of his 
name would have caused a pang of horror, this very sight 
would be the signal of the most damning insult. Sunk, de- 
graded indeed, must be that mind that could touch with scof- 
fing the mains of the mighty dead. Reviled on earth, rejec- 
ted by Heaven, and scowled upon by devils, the nethermost 
pits of damnation were a paradise to him. 

In the year 1787, just sixty-nine years ago, the Federal 



\ 



14 THE UNION. 

Constitution was adopted. What changes have been wrought 
within that period! Self-government was then deemed a 
chimera. The Sovereignties of Europe deemed that anarchy 
must result from what seemed to them only an idle and vain 
experiment. To them, the idea that a mighty nation, strong 
in both its internal and external resources, without some ar- 
bitrary sovereign rule, should spring up, seemed an Utopia. 
Even the mother country deemed it but the wild and way- 
ward experiment of restless and prodigal children, who soon 
tiring, would be forced to return by necessity to the parent 
fold. But day by day we grew in ppwer, in wealth, and in 
greatness. Extending our open arms to the suffering masses 
of Europe, Avhose hearts panted for freedom, offering them 
homes, protection, freedom, and a brothers' welcome beneath 
the broad segis of the Young Republic, millions flocked to 
our shores to aid, enrich and strengthen us ; and daily Ave 
grew in population, in wealth, in power, and all the charac- 
teristics of national greatness. Mighty forests sank before 
the sound of the pioneer's axe; meadows of living green 
replaced the brambles of the brooklet ; rich fields of waving 
grain supplanted the rank vegetation of Nature ; the |,wild 
beast of the forest retired trembling at the lows of the do- 
mestic kine ; the red man and the buffalo, at the hum of the 
bee. Wild savannas waved with fields of tall maize and cane, 
and the variegated blossoms of the cotton. The fertile banks 
of the beautiful Ohio, and the broad plains of theturbid ]Mis- 
sissippi, sound with the busy voices of teeming millions. The 
snow-capped Cordilleras of the Rocky Mountains have in 
vain towered upwards to the Heavens, to restrain the mighty 
and magical progress of the Anglo-Saxon. The last resting 
place of the Red man, on the fertile and genial plains of the 
Columbia, has felt the resistless force of the Avhite man. 
Civilization and freedom, now perched upon the highest 
crests of the lofty Cordilleras, smilingly extending fi-om 
ocean to ocean — behold the results of their Union ! They 
turn to the east, or to the west; to the north, or to the 



THE UNION. 15 

south : thousands of steamboats ply the streamlets of the 
vast Continent ; the shrill whistle of the engine startles the 
repose of every quarter ; sail and canal boats ply to deliver 
the superfluous produce of the groaning earth ; the ports of 
the vast oceans are dotted with the snow white sails that 
waft the superfluous foods of this bountiful country to a star- 
ving world. The busy spindle twirls with untiring zeal, to 
clothe naked millions. The careless, happy, and contented 
African of the sunny South, chaunts his way as he capers 
to the fields that furnish the necessities and luxuries of the 
earth ; and the daily laborer of the North thoughtfully plods 
his way to ply the machinery that supplies a thousand hands. 
The sturdy laborer explores the bowels of the Alleghanies for 
coal and iron ; and the reckless adventurer washes the sands 
of the Sierra Nevada for gold. Nature has yielded to the 
power and resistless energy of the engineer : mountains tun- 
nelled, and deep ravines and gorges filled up, and the iron 
bands of the rail-road now unite, connect and cement us. 
Space has been annihilated by the powerful but secret force 
of magnetism. Cities, towns, and villages have sprang 
into existence with a magic before unknown to the Universe* 
Thousands of spires ascend the skies, to mark the House of 
the Almighty ; and millions of bells send forth their deep, 
sonorous sounds to summons the countless millions to worship 
the Living Grod, and return him devout thanks for his watch- 
ful care of them as a nation, and to entreat a continuation of 
His protection and strength for the future. 

Even the few remnants of the once barbarous and savage 
sovereigns of this mighty land, feel the resistless energy and 
force of Civilization. Within the small confines allotted 
them by the restrictive force of the white man — the toma- 
hawk is giving place to the plough-share ; the scalping-knife 
to the pruning hook ; the hieroglyphic and wampum bead to 
the printing press. Who shall say, but after the lapse of a 
few years, vrhen under the powerful force of civilization and 
knowledge, they shall assume a political position in the coun- 



16 THE UNION. 

cils of the nation — but that some descendant of Tecumseh, 
Logan, Cornstalk, Black Hawk, or Osceola, endowed with 
the keen perceptions, extensive abilities, and true eloquence 
of the aborigines, may not rule the destinies of the Republic, 
and lead it to more extensive fields of glory and poAver ! 
Nor have our commercial relations, as a nation, been behind 
that of our internal advancement. Without a navy at the 
formation of the Constitution, and with the very barest ex- 
cuse for shipping, and strong prejudice unjustly existing 
against that arm of defence ; yet, possessing all the elements 
of commercial greatness, vast wildernesses of ship timber, 
rich soil for the production of cordage, extensive fields of 
pine for the yield of pitch, and withal, a brave, hardy, and 
indefatigable race of men — our vessels dot the vast expanse 
of waters. On every ocean, on every sea, and in every port, 
waves the Star Spangled Banner of our beloved Country. 
The whalers of Nantucket pierce the frozen barriers of the 
Northern and Southern zones ; the merchantmen of Boston 
and New York seek "a market" in every clime; and the clip- 
pers of Baltimore outstrip the wind in search of a "ready 
market." Our navy has shown its prowess on the ocean, sea, 
and inland waters ; causing by their skill, bravery, and un- 
conquerable determination, the name of an American to be 
respected in every country, every clime, and every zone. 
The names of Decatur, Lawrence, Perry, Bainbridge, Hull, 
Jones, Allen, Burrows, Porter, McDonough, Blakely, and a 
host of others, have been crowned with imperishable honors. 
Nor, while evincing gallantry and bravery in battle, have 
they been wanting in aid to science : Maury's reputation is 
co-extensive Avith the civilized world ; Lynch has explored 
the Jordan, and Span the Asphaltic lake ; Wilkes breasted 
the very uttermost limits of the icy barriers of the Southern 
pole ; Herndon and Gibbon exhibited the vast resources of 
the Amazon and its tributaries ; Gillis pursued his Astronom- 
ical and Scientific pursuits on the heaving earth of Ohili : 
Indeed, wherever science, literature, or philanthropy called, 



THE UNION. 17 

some one of our hardy seamen has responded, and they have 
been found ready for every danger, every enterprise, and 
every suffering. 

Nor have our armies shown less devotion, bravery or 
prowess. Twice has the tocsin of war sounded through our 
beloved land, and nobly been responded to by thousands of 
volunteer citizen soldiery, whose souls panted within them, 
to achieve high, chivalrous deeds ; and with rare exceptions, 
nobly have they performed their duty — proving themselves 
equal to any troops in the world, in all the characteristics of 
the good soldier; in the camp, in the force march, in the 
battle, in the siege, in the storm — but seldom in the retreat. 
OflScers would spring up, as by magic, on all sides, ready to 
lead in any danger, and capable for any emergency. They 
dared mighty deeds for honor, and achieved great things for 
the glory of their country. When duty no longer called, 
quietly they retired to their social avocations, to show, per- 
haps, some honorable scar, or recount the daring or reckless 
deeds in danger shown by each other ; while the heart would 
swell with high emotion, and memory's unbidden tear dim 
the eye. With such a race, we need no standing army ! 
Nor fear the combined troops of the world ! We are uncon- 
querable ! 

Nor have our international affairs been managed with less 
wisdom, justice, or discretion. Keeping free from all entan- 
gling alliances ; knowing our rights, we have, in every in- 
stance, strenuously and firmly caused them to be respected. 
Willing to take active part with the world, in all that may 
extend commerce, or mollify the horrors of war, we have 
rent the last relics of feudalism, which perched upon the 
rocks of Thor, and enchained the roaring Baltic. Desiring 
peace, but fearing not war, we have said to the Monarchies 
of Europe, "So far shalt thou go, but no farther!" Settle 
among yourselves the balances of power, but let no eye be 
turned, no hand extended, no foot-print made upon the sands 
of this mighty hemisphere. 



/ 



I 



/ 



in THE UNION. 

Such is now our national position. But, alas ! Eden had 
her serpent, and the deadly asp coils beneath the fairest 
flower. Sectionalism now tempts with the apple of bastard 
philanthropy, on the one hand; and the asp of Disunion 
coils beneath the flowery meads of the other ; the one Avould 
rend the Constitution ; the other would strike the vitality of 
the Union. But, thank God ! there is too holy a reverence 
in all patriotic hearts for the one, and too powerful an anti- 
dote in Union for the other. The hissings of both will have 
but an ephemeral existence, and leave only a terrible warn- 
ing to the Country in the awful crisis they have passed. 

Then, what a destiny looms up before us in the dim, sha- 
dowy outline of the future ! While the lion of Great Britain 
and the bear of Russia contend over the yet breathing corse 
of Persia ; while Greece, resuming some part of her pristine 
prowess, snatches the vestiges of her former greatness from 
the Turk; while France rent with the mighty throes of rev- 
olution, upon revolution ; while Central Europe convulsed 
with the reiterated efforts of Poland and Hungary to assume 
their lost political positions ; while Spain and Portugal dream 
over past greatness, and former fabulous wealth ; while a 
world shall agonize with the horrors of ruthless war — this 
mighty republic, strong in Union and all the internal elements 
of greatness, will extend her arm to the North, and the land 
rich in the memories of Montcalm, of Wolf, and of Mont- 
gomery, gather in her fold ; turn her eye to the South, and 
the fairy lands of the Montezumas Avill be one in her bright 
galaxy, to be strengthened and protected from internal an- 
archy and confusion ; the Central American States be pros- 
pered under her wing ; Cuba become a glittering star in the 
constellation, her genial breezes, loaded with earth's richest 
perfumes, be softened by the refreshing blandishments of 
Liberty; Jamaica, under a mild servitude, resume her former 
position in supplying the luxuries of man ; the semi-barba- 
rous hordes of Hayti, be again reduced to former, and pro- 
per, social position ; Brazil, under the force of just and im- 



THE UNION. 19 

peritive international principles, be compelled to open the vast 
inland waters of the Amazon to the free commerce of the 
world ; and the energy and enterprise of the Anglo-Ameri- 
can will draw from its immense valleys a commerce and a 
wealth, to which that of fabulous India were but as an idle 
tale. Then, this mighty Union, with a territory to satisfy 
the most exalted ambition ; a population to which that of 
China will be as nothing ; a commerce to which the present 
tonage of the world, thrice told, would be inadequate ; with 
machinery to which the countless spindles of Great Britain 
would be as a comparison ; with gorgeous cities upon the 
Atlantic and the Pacific whose population and magnificence 
would be deemed an idle fable ; and Avith a wealth and a lux- 
ury which the most gorgeous eastern imagination could never 
encompass ! Then, when the Anglo-Saxon shall be the dialect 
of the whole earth, the Anglo-American may decide the des- 
tinies of the world in some terrible and hard fought battle 
on the plains of Palestine, and proclaim, that the Prince of 
Peace shall reign triumphant for a thousand years, and 
Christ dwell in the hearts of the whole earth, forever more ! 



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